A Wayward Witch
by Phoenyx Starr
Summary: A witch, who doesn't even realize that her special abilities make her a witch, comes to England and sets the wizarding world on end. She falls in love with Harry, while Ron and 'Mione are married.
1. Prologue

March 2002  
  
A 21-year-old college student was awakened by her best friend, and roommate, yelling, "Harry, look out behind you." at the top of her lungs. She got out of bed and walked over to her friend's bed. She stood there for a few minutes waiting for her to calm down enough to be woken up. She leans down, grabs her friend's shoulder and shakes it, saying, "Nik, Nikki wake up. You had another dream."  
  
"Oh, thanks, Em." I sit up and wipe my face on a towel. "God I wish I didn't have these dreams every night. I really get tired of waking you up every night."  
  
"It's okay, I understand."  
  
"You know Em, I've been thinking. I wonder if I go to England and see that the Harry Potter series is fiction, maybe I'll quit having these dreams." I lean over and pull out a notebook from my bedside table. I open it up to a blank page and start writing. 'March 16, 2002. Another dream about Harry tonight. It started out, we were walking in Diagon Alley on our way to meet up with Ron and Hermione. All of a sudden the street clears out, and Harry is attacked by a Deatheater. Luckily, Harry beats the Deatheater, but he is hurt. I run over to him, and ask, "Are you all right, Harry love?" At that moment, Hermione and Ron run up. Hermione heals Harry and then we go to The Leaky Cauldron for lunch.' I put the book down.  
  
Em looks at me and asks, "Will you tell me about tonight's dream?"  
  
"Yeah sure, Em." I open the notebook back up and read what I just wrote. "Would you like to read my other entries?"  
  
"Sure, Nikki." I hand the notebook over to her and tell her, "All my Harry Potter dreams are marked on the corner of the page with a star." She opens the book and starts to read, 'Feb. 4, 2001. I dreamt about Harry Potter last night. I've never done that before, kind of a big surprise to me. The dream starts out with us walking in a field. Harry is telling me all about the wizarding world. Harry says, "Come on Nicole, there is somewhere special I want to show you." We climb up a hill, and stand on the point. Harry points to something. I look over in the direction he is pointing and I say, "Oh Harry it is soo beautiful." Yeah I know, corny but that is what I said.' 'April 14, 2002. I had another dream about Harry last night. I think I'm beginning to fall in love with him. We went to Hermione and Ron's house for dinner. I could tell that Hermione and Ron really loved each other. Ron looks at Hermione and says, "Harry the reason we invited you here is because we need to tell you something and ask you a question." Harry looks at Ron and says, "Okay, shoot Ron." Hermione starts, "Harry, we are expecting a baby." Harry looks at Hermione and Ron and yells, "All right. Congratulations you two." Ron swells up with pride and says, "Now for the question. Harry, we were talking about it and we decided to ask you. Would you like to be our baby's godfather?" Harry is flabbergasted. He looks at me and then back at Ron and Hermione, and says, "Of course guys." They spend the rest of dinner talking about the baby.'  
  
Emily looks up at me and says, "Wow, Nikki. That is involved. It's almost as if you are trying to live two lives. One here with me and all of your other friends and the other with Harry Potter and his friends in England."  
  
I nod my head in agreement. "You think those two dreams were involved, skip ahead to either November or December and read an entry there."  
  
Emily flips through a couple pages until she reaches one marked as a Harry Potter dream in December. She starts to read, 'December 12, 2002. OH MY GOD! I just had the most realistic, sexual dream and it was with Harry.' She looks up at me, so I nod my head for her to continue. 'It started out innocent enough, we went on a picnic with Ron and Hermione. After we ate, Hermione and Ron started to doze off so Harry and I decided to go exploring. There was a wood nearby so we headed in that direction.   
  
We get into the woods and its dark. Harry grabs my hand, I guess that he thinks I'm afraid of the dark. I look at him, and he pulls me to him. We start kissing, and before I know it we are laying on the ground underneath a huge oak tree, making love.  
  
Harry rolls off me, and lays there for a few minutes catching his breath. "Wow Nicole, that was incredible. If it was going to be like that everytime, I'd suggest we always came down to the woods to make love." I look at him, debating whether it was worth moving to punch him in the arm. I decide I'm too tired to move so I just roll my eyes at him. He laughs at me, "Too tired to move, I take it." I nod my head, already half asleep.  
  
The next thing I know, Harry is softly calling, "Wake up, sleeping beauty." I open my eyes and look at him, "Whad'ja wake me up for?" He laughs, "Such proper English from our college graduate. Tssk, tssk." I sit up and glare at him, "Shut up Harry, just because Hogwarts knew about you were from the beginning doesn't mean you have to tease me about it." He looks hurt for a minute, then says, "I didn't mean it like that, Nikki. You know that, right?" I look at his face and he actually looks sorry. "Yes, sweetheart. I know. Now seriously why did you wake me?"  
  
He grins again and says, "We need to get back to Ron and Hermione before they realize we 'disappeared' on them again." I giggle. Harry offers me his hand to stand up, and then I get dressed since Harry was already completely dressed. Then we walked, hand in hand, back to where we had left Ron and Hermione. They were still asleep. I looked at them, then back at Harry and said, "Since you woke me up, I'm gonna lay down and take a nap." Which is precisely what I didn't get to do because Ron woke up when he heard our voices. He woke up Hermione and then we all left.'  
  
Emily looks at me and just shakes her head like she can't believe it all.  
  
I look back at her and say, "Yeah I know. Well, Em. I think we should try to go back to sleep. Remember we have 8 o'clock classes tomorrow. Good night, Em."  
  
"Good night to you too, Nikki."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
I hope everyone likes it. This is my first fanfiction attempt. Please rate and review. 


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: An Unexpected Offer  
  
July 5, 2010  
  
I had just started working when my supervisor Dr. Hunter came in. He came over to the counter where I was working and said, "Dr. Klempp I need to speak with you in my office, immediately." I look at him and reply, "Okay Dr. I will be in as soon as I have finished with this specimen." He nods his head and leaves. My best friend, Dr. Emily Willhite, comes over to me and says, "Uh oh, this can't be good, Nikki."  
  
I look up at her and say, "I know, I know. But there isn't anything he should have to talk with me about, at least I don't think there is."  
  
Emily looks a little frightened, so I hug her and say, "I will always have my D.V.M. anyway, so I can open my own animal hospital if he fires me. Don't worry, my friend, I'll be fine."  
  
I finish my work, barely able to remember what I was doing, wash up, and head to Dr. Hunter's office. When I get there, his secretary waves me in. Dr. Hunter is sitting behind his desk, working on some paperwork. He looks up at me and says, "Have a seat, I'll be with you in just a minute."   
  
I sit there for almost ten minutes before he finishes the paperwork. He looks at me and says, "You know you are our best research scientist. I received a phone call this morning from our research office in London, England. It seems that they are having a bit of a problem with one of their research projects and they are requesting our best researcher, namely you." I'm flabbergasted, I always thought Emily was a better scientist than me.   
  
I look at Dr. Hunter and ask, "Are you sure? Dr. Emily Willhite is a better lab scientist than I, and in my opinion also a better researcher." He looks at me as if he was trying to decide something then replies, "Ordinarily, I would agree with you. But the office in London specifically asked for you saying that this assignment would peak your interest."   
  
Now I'm curious, I don't know anyone in London, at least not to my knowledge. "May I ask what the assignment is?" Dr. Hunter looks at me and says, "I honestly don't know, but they did tell me to tell you, "You were right about 'wolves' and if you come to England, you can have the proof, my love." The man on the phone even told me to stress wolves. I don't know why but I did anyway." I gasp, only one 'man' had ever called me his love and it couldn't be him because he was just a fictional character, wasn't he?   
  
Dr. Hunter looks at me and asks, "Are you all right, Nicole?" I note the concern in his voice and I nod my head. He looks relieved and asks, "Well are you going to go, or not?" I look at him, take a deep breath and ask, "When do you need your answer? I need to think about this for a little while."  
  
Dr. Hunter nods his head, understanding, and replies, "I have to call our London office on Friday anyway. So how about you giving my your answer on Thursday." I'm relieved and say, "That would be great Dr. Hunter. Is there anything else you wanted to talk to me about?" I'm afraid that the answer will be yes and he will ask me out for dinner again. Something must have shown on my face, because he said, "That is all for now, Nicole. Go back to work."  
  
I leave his office, feeling kind of overwhelmed. I walk on auto-pilot back to my workstation, where Emily and all my other friends at work are waiting to here wait happened. I look at them and all I can say is, "I didn't get fired." Everyone but Emily is ecstatic, Emily looks worried about me. After a round of congratulations they all head back to whatever they had been working on. I sit down on a stool, a little disoriented and in desperate need of a heart to heart talk with my best friends, Emily and Genie, and my family.  
  
I sit there thinking to myself. 'I should probably talk to Mom and Dad first but I kind of know what they will tell me. They'll tell me that I should go to England because it would be good for me. But they don't really understand the reason I hate traveling. Its because I don't feel like I belong here and if I travel, I might find someplace that feels like home. Then I would have to leave all my friends and family behind because there is no way I would be able to stay here once I've had a taste of 'home'. I think I'll call Genie at work during lunch and ask her if she wants to have dinner with me and Emily tonight. This way I can talk to both of them at the same time, I know they don't exactly get along with each other but I think they will put all that aside to help me.'  
  
I look up and notice Emily is still close to me, even though she is working. "Hey Em, Can you come here a minute?" She looks up at me and says, "Sure." I smile and say, "Thanks. Umm, you know that I didn't tell everyone what really went on in Hunter's office. Well, he gave me an assignment and I need to talk to you and Genie about it." Emily nods her head, she figured something big had happened. "Can you come to dinner tonight?" She thinks for a minute and then says, "Sure, I'll just have to call William and tell him before we leave work. I assume you want to head over and pick Genie up on the way to your place."  
  
"Well, actually, I was thinking we could go to a restuarant instead."   
  
Emily looks surprised, "Wow this must be really big, I always thought you loved to cook." I nod my head. Emily goes back to her workplace and finishes up before lunch.  
  
I get up and go to lunch with everyone else. I eat a quick sandwich and then begin looking for the phone so I can call Genie before she has to go back to work. I find the phone and dial her number from memory. Genie answers. "Hi Genie, I know I don't usually call in the middle of the day but something came up here at work and I wanted to ask you something."   
  
"Sure, Nicole. What is it?"   
  
"Can you go to dinner with me and Emily tonight? I know you don't really like Em, but can you try just this once to get along so you can help me?"   
  
"Well, I really shouldn't go out tonight but since you sound so confused or something, I will go eat dinner with you two. Do you want me to meet you at your apartment, Nicole?"   
  
"Umm, no actually, I was thinking about going to a restaurant because I don't feel like cooking." I hear Genie gasp. "Emily and I should be at the pharmacy around 5:30 or 6. If that's too early, we can wait for you but I really do need to talk about this as soon as we can all get together."   
  
"No, No, 6 is just fine, that's about what time I get done anyway."   
  
"Okay then, I'll see you later tonight. 'Bye"   
  
"'Bye, Nicole." I hang up the phone, feeling better than I have all morning.  
  
The afternoon seems to fly by, since I decided to talk to my friends first. At 5, I started cleaning up my workstation and everything so that I could be ready to leave as soon as 5:30 rolled around. Emily does the same thing that night. We get into my little car and head to the pharmacy where Genie worked. We stop at the gas station on the corner because I forgot to fill the tank up on the way to work this morning.  
  
We get to Genie's pharmacy just as she is walking, backwards of course, out the door, still talking to someone inside the building. She turns around and sees us. She comes over, gets in the back seat and asks, "So where are we going for dinner?"  
  
I'm stopped at a red light, so I turn around and answer her, "Well, we hadn't really decided what we wanted to eat yet. If you have a suggest, I'll consider it as long as it isn't Chinese."  
  
"We know you don't like Chinese, Nicole." giggles Emily.  
  
I look over at her and glare. "Well, Ms. Smarty-Pants, where do you want to have dinner?"   
  
"Ummm, how about we try out that new restaurant, The Quake?" Genie suggests.  
  
I think about it for a minute then say, "Sounds good to me. Emily?"  
  
Emily nods her head in agreement.  
  
Luckily the restaurant isn't too far from Genie's pharmacy, so it didn't take us that long to get there. We park in the mostly empty parking lot and go inside. It didn't appear to be very busy and it was relatively simple to get seated at a table. The waitress soon came over with 3 menus and 3 glasses of water for us. "Call me when you are ready to order, ladies."  
  
I look over my menu for a few minutes, then say, "God I wish I was back at USAO, going to classes and everything."  
  
Emily and Genie look at me over the tops of their menus and both ask, "Why?"  
  
I grin up at them and answer, "So that I could have one of the Terrace Room's greasy, gooey, fresh-grilled cheeseburger and french fries."  
  
Both my friends roll their eyes at me. "So Nicole, why are we 3 having dinner together?" asks Genie.  
  
I take a deep breath and say, "Dr. Hunter told me today that the London office wants me to do some research for them, in London."  
  
Emily's mouth drops open and Genie almost drops her glass of water. "Wh-wh-what?" Emily stammers.  
  
"I know, but that is what happened this morning in his office." Genie looks at me and says, "Start from the beginning and tell the whole thing, don't just drop a bombshell like that on us."  
  
"All right, this morning Dr. Hunter came into the lab where we were working and told me he needed to talk to me. As soon as I finished with my work, I went to his office. He told me that the London office had called him requesting me to go over there and help them solve a problem with one of their experiments or something. Of course I was stunned because I don't know anyone in London, and I don't do any research that would catch anyone's eye. I told Dr. Hunter that I thought Emily would be a better choice and he agreed with me except for one thing. The person from the London office told Dr. Hunter to tell me, 'You were right about the 'wolves' and if you come to England, you can have your proof my love.' With the added emphasis on wolves." I look at them after my little speech, trying to judge their emotions. Emily seems confused but what about I'm not sure, and Genie is thinking about all the possibilities.  
  
The waitress comes over and we place our orders, I don't really think Genie and Emily had any idea what they ordered for dinner. They remained silent until our food was delivered to us. Then, it seemed they realized how long they had been silent and they both started talking at once, "Nicole, I think you should take the job...." "Nicole, I know you have been wanting to go back to England but....."  
  
I smile, "Hang on you two, I can't understand you if you both talk at the same time."  
  
Emily looks down at her food and starts eating, Genie takes a bite and says to me, "Nicole, you really should go. I know you went to England once already but you loved it and have been pining for it ever since." I start shaking my head and Genie says, "Don't try to deny it, I've been your friend long enough to know when you are hiding something from me. It started shortly after your trip to England and ever since then, you would get a homesick look on your face everytime you saw or heard something British."  
  
I grin shyly at Genie, knowing that what she said was true. Genie, having given me her opinion, started eating. I look at Emily expectantly. She looks up and sighs. I start eating my dinner before it got too cold to eat.  
  
Emily starts to speak, "Nicole I don't know how I feel about your going to London. But I do know that I want you to do whatever makes you happy, even if that means transferring to London."  
  
I look at both of my friends, knowing how hard it was for both of them to tell me I should go to England. "All right you guys, I'm convinced. I'll tell Hunter Thursday that I'll be going."  
  
Both of my friends smile at me, and we finish our dinner joking and laughing about stuff from college.  
  
When we are done, I take Genie and Emily to their homes and then return to mine. 


	3. Chapter 2

As I open the door to my front door, I hear a very loud, very aggravated screech. I roll my eyes and say, "I'm coming, Marius." Marius decides he is too impatient to wait for me to walk upstairs to his room, so he flies down and perches on my shoulder. I look over at him and say, "You know you are almost too big to sit there."   
  
He cocks his head at me and says, "And you know I don't understand English, so talk to me the right way."   
  
I nod my head and say, "I'm sorry Marius, I've spent all evening with my friends trying to make a decision. And you know what happened last time I accidentally spoke Owl with them around."  
  
Marius nods his head, remembering that night perfectly. Of course it was before she had learned to control her power. He had just arrived here and was hungry. So he called out to Nicole, or as he thought her back then, the nice lady with food. She heard him and answered. The bad thing was she answered in Owl, and she had some human friends over. Her friends freaked out, yelling and screaming all kinds of things. Luckily her friends had been drinking that night, and since then have always thought it was just a hallucination or a really strange dream. But there was always the possibility that they would realize it had really happened.  
  
Marius brings his attention back to the present and asks, "What decision were you making that you had to ask them and not me?"  
  
I turn to look at him, "You know it is very hard to look you in the eyes when you're on my shoulder, don't you?"  
  
Marius ruffles his feathers and says, "Thank you but that isn't answering my question."  
  
I sigh and say, "You're right. It started this morning, when my boss called me into his office. The London office called and is requesting me to go to England and help them with one of their research projects. I wasn't sure if I wanted to go so I ate dinner with them and asked them their opinions. They think I should go, I haven't asked Mom and Dad yet but we both know what their answer will be."  
  
Marius flies off my shoulder to perch on a dining room chair, I follow him in there. He says, "Your parents will probably tell you that it would be good for you and you should go. Am I right?"  
  
I nod my head and decide to change the subject, "All right, what do you want for dinner? I know I already ate, but I forgot to get something for you."  
  
Marius looks at me and says, "I want to go hunting, so you don't have to fix me anything."  
  
I nod my and go to open the kitchen window. Marius swoops by and out the window. I head to my bedroom to change and dig out Mom and Dad's cell phone number.  
  
I find my sweat pants and an old, holey T-shirt to wear. I change my mind about just changing clothes and head to the bathroom to take a shower. I just stand there, letting the hot water fall on my back, letting it wash away my worries. I don't get out until the water is ice cold. Then I wrap my hair into a towel and get dressed. I pad back into the kitchen, noticing that Marius still hadn't returned, and make me some coffee. While waiting for the coffee to brew, I turn on the kitchen TV and listen to the weather for tomorrow. The Weather Channel reports that it is supposed to rain tomorrow. I think to myself, 'God I hate it when it rains, I wish it would be sunny.' Soon the coffee is done, I take it and head into the living room to make my phone calls.  
  
The first call I make is to my parents but they are out of range, and they haven't yet stopped for the night. I decide to leave a message on their voice mail. "Hey Mom, its me, Nicole. I know its been a while but I really need to talk to you. I'll call back sometime later tonight, I have other calls to make. Talk to you later. Love, Me."  
  
I hang up the phone, and take a deep breath and give myself a pep talk. "Okay, you knew they would probably be out of range. So don't worry. Now pick that phone back up and call Tiff and your godchildren. This way all of your family knows about your decision."  
  
I pick the phone back up, look at the time and notice that the kids will probably be in the tub. At first I don't want to call, because that means Tiff will have to leave the bathroom and I don't want her to do that. Then I remembered that the oldest had started taking showers in the morning, so she would be able to answer the phone. I dial Tiff's number from memory and wait for it to be picked up on the other end.  
  
My goddaughter answers, "Hello."  
  
"Hi, Terry. What have you been up to?"  
  
"Aunt Nikki, is that you?"  
  
"Of course it is, sweetheart. Who else calls you Terry? You better not have a boyfriend or I'll come all the way back to Oklahoma and kick both of your parents' asses."  
  
Terry giggled, "No Aunt Nikki, I don't have a boyfriend. Boys have cooties, remember." I grin at that statement. "Cal has started calling me Terry though, and Mom and Daddy don't like it."  
  
"I know they don't like it, that's why I've called you that since birth."  
  
Terry laughs, "Aunt Nikki, I get the feeling that this isn't just a check-up call. Now is it?"  
  
I had almost forgotten that Terry had my ability to sense other people's emotions, all though her gift wasn't as strong as mine and she doesn't know how to fully control it yet. "Now didn't I tell you that you had to control that better, my love."  
  
"But Aunt Nikki, I tried, I just couldn't. It has been getting stronger here lately, and it's harder to control. And anyway, I never could quite block your emotions, remember."  
  
I don't like the idea that her ability is getting stronger. "All right, Terry, you're forgiven. I know that you have a problem blocking my emotions, but I never did tell you why did I?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Well, since I think it has something to do with what I need to talk to your mother about, I'll tell you. Remember when I taught you how to control your gift, and you asked me how I knew what to do. I never answered you because I would have had to tell you then and I didn't think you were ready for it. You were after all only 5 years old. What I should have told you then is that we share the same special gift. I can also tell what people are feeling, but my gift is stronger than yours, I can also tell what people are thinking sometimes."  
  
Terry gasped, "Will my gift get to be that strong, Aunt Nikki?"  
  
"I hope it doesn't Terry, because it is so much harder to control the mind-reading ability than what you can do now. But I'm afraid it might, since you've told me it is getting stronger already. I wish I could come down there and visit you and see how strong your gift is but you know I can't right now."  
  
"I know, Aunt Nikki."  
  
"Is your mother done giving the rest of the kids their baths?"  
  
"Umm, I see every body but her so I think so. Do you want me to get her?"  
  
"Yes please, my dear."  
  
"MOM."  
  
"Terry, you know that was my ear you yelled into!"  
  
"Sorry, Aunt Nikki. But it got Mom to come to the phone. Here she is."  
  
Tiff takes the phone, "Hello."  
  
"Hi sweetheart. How's that ass of a husband you've got?"  
  
"Nikki, its been a long time since I've heard from you. What's the occasion?"  
  
"Well I need your help decided something. My boss wants me to go to England to help our London office with one of their research projects."  
  
"I think you should go, you always told me how lovely it was when you went over there for college. Don't worry, we can get along even with Calvin being an ass right now. Have you talked to your parents about it, yet?"  
  
"No, but I did leave a message on their voice mail saying that I needed to talk to them and that I would call them as soon as I was done with my other phone calls tonight. Everybody I've talked to so far has said that I should go to England. So I think I'll tell my boss tomorrow that I've decided to go."  
  
After that, we talked about the kids and what they are doing until it was time for Tiff to get the little brats into bed, as she put it.  
  
"Good night, Tiff, I'll talk to you later. I love you."  
  
"I love you too, Nikki. Good night."  
  
I hang up the phone and look at the time. It's 9:30 and I decide to try calling Mom and Dad again. This time Dad answers the phone, "Hello.  
  
"Hey old man, how's everything going?"  
  
"The same as always, why did you need to talk to your Mom?"  
  
"Well, actually I just wanted to let you guys know that I'm going to England."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Yeah, my boss told me this morning that the our London office called and requested me to help with one of their research projects."  
  
"Do you know what you will be working on?"  
  
"No, but I have an idea and it ain't pretty."  
  
"Well, what is it?"  
  
"I think it might be werewolves."  
  
Dad laughs, "You have been watching those old movies again haven't you? Don't you realize that werewolves aren't real?"  
  
I sigh, "I knew you wouldn't believe me. No, I haven't been watching any movies because I haven't had the time."  
  
"Then tell me why you believe this research project deals with werewolves."  
  
"Well, its because of what the man from the London office said. He said, 'You were right about 'wolves' and if you come to England, you can have the proof, my love.' He even stressed wolves like I just did."  
  
"Okay, I grant you that does sound strange, but do you know who it was?"  
  
"Nope, no idea."  
  
"Then why did he call you his love?"  
  
"I've been wondering the same thing. Make sure you tell Mom all that I told you, I have to get some work done before I go to bed tonight. 'Nite, Dad."  
  
"'Nite, Brat."  
  
I hang up the phone, and lay down. I don't know how much later it is, but the next thing I know, Marius is standing on my chest, pulling my hair. "Marius!"  
  
He looks up at me and says, "It's about time you woke up. Its a beautiful night outside, do you want to come play with me?"  
  
I roll my eyes at him, "You know I can't go out tonight, it may be beautiful but that damn dog catcher is probably out there again."  
  
Marius doesn't say anything for a minute, so I look at him. If I didn't know that owls couldn't smile, I would say Marius was grinning about something. "All right, Marius what did you do?"  
  
Marius ruffles his feathers as if he's insulted, "Now why would I do anything?"  
  
I just give him my best 'Ice Queen' look.  
  
Marius flaps his wings once and says, "All right, I confess. I told a couple of the dogs in the neighborhood that I would open their gates and let them loose if they would cause as much trouble as they possible could tonight."  
  
"Marius! You didn't!"  
  
Marius looks smug, "Yes I did, I want to play with the wolf tonight, Nicole. Will you please let her out?"  
  
"You know I ought to take you and give you to the zoo for that prank, Marius."  
  
Marius looks at me and says, "You know you can't do that."  
  
I growl at Marius, "Go away, let me have some privacy. I have to get undressed before I change because I don't want to ruin another pair of sweats."  
  
Marius flies back out the kitchen window.  
  
I go into my bedroom and shed my clothes. About 5 seconds after taking the last of my clothes off, the transformation begins. It was painful the first few times I changed, but now I'm used to it and it goes rather quickly. I lope down the stairs to the kitchen, and out the kitchen door. Boy am I glad, I found a house with a huge doggie door already installed. I look up at Marius, perched on the porch railing. 'All right, Marius what do you want to do?'  
  
Marius cocks his head to the side and thinks, 'I don't know Nicole. Hmmmm.' and with that he swoops down and nips my ear. 'Tag, you're it.'  
  
I growl at him, 'Marius get back here, you know I can't catch you when you fly up high like that. Remember the rules and stay close to the ground.'  
  
Marius turns his head around and looks at me, 'If I stay too close to the ground, you will surely catch me.'  
  
I start running after him, 'Get back here, you damn pain in my ass. I will definitely get you for this.' And with that we start playing tag. Lucky for me, Marius always tires out before I do. As soon as he starts to get tired, he starts flying lower and lower, looking for a place to perch. I usually get him just as he lands on his perch to rest. Tonight was no different. 'Ha, gotcha Marius.'  
  
Now it was Marius' turn to complain. 'That's not fair, I was resting for a minute.'  
  
I'm laying down, panting. I look up at him, 'Well it wasn't fair of you to tag me as soon as I got out the door. I'm bored. You rest Marius, I'm going off to find something to do.'  
  
I get up and start walking around sniffing at everything. All of a sudden I catch the scent of something unfamiliar. I thought I knew every dog and cat in the neighborhood, and I know everything in my territory, so this must be an intruder. The wolf's instincts take over and I take off after whatever it was that left that new scent. I start thinking about everything I've ever smelled, trying to figure out at least what type of creature it was. I think its a human, but I'm not exactly sure. It smells like the other humans on the block, but something is different about it. Marius joins me and I follow the scent, while Marius follows me. Soon the scent leads us back to our house, it appears that whatever had left the scent stayed here for awhile, probably staring at our home. I look up at Marius and think, 'Marius do you think that maybe he or whatever it was saw me Change?'  
  
Marius swoops down, landing right beside me. 'I don't think so, unless you happened to change in the living room right in front of the window.'  
  
I snort, 'You know me better than that.'  
  
The scent keeps going for a little while and we follow it, hoping to catch a glimpse of the creature that left the unusual scent and stared at our house. We are following it along when all of a sudden it disappears. I turn around and sniff around, trying to find where he went but no luck. I look at Marius, 'It is almost as if he just disappeared.'  
  
Marius comes down and alights on my head, 'Let's head home. I'm too tired to play anymore, and anyway I think it is about 2 in the morning. You have to rest before going to work tomorrow.'  
  
I nod my head, 'Yeah I agree. Let's go.' I start loping home. I didn't see someone suddenly appear behind us, nor did i smell or hear him. He stood there watching us a moment before speaking, "I wonder when we shall meet in something other than your dreams, my love." He walks under a street lamp and for a minute his face is illuminated. He has long black hair, and it looks like it needs combing but no matter what the man does to it, it just stays like that. His eyes are green, and he has a funny shaped scar on his forhead. It almost looks like lightning. Just as soon as he can, he disappears again.  
  
Marius and I arrive home, where we both decide it's time to go to sleep. Marius barely makes it to his perch before collapsing. I head up to my room, look around for a minute then decide I'm too tired to Change back. I leap up onto the bed and just lay down and sleep. 


	4. Chapter 3

** I open my eyes and look around. I begin to panic because I don't recognize my surroundings. I hear a gentle voice in my ear, "Hush love, you're safe." I relax, recognizing Harry's voice.  
  
I whisper, "Where am I, Harry?"  
  
"You're in the Hospital Wing, Nicole." I notice that Harry is distancing himself from me as he is speaking and think, 'Don't leave me, love. I couldn't stand it if you did.'  
  
Harry looks at me, "I'm not leaving, I just need to figure everything out."  
  
"Ummm, Harry I didn't say that out loud. I was just thinking it."  
  
"Are you sure, Nicole?"  
  
I nod my head. "What do you think this means, Harry?"  
  
"I'm not sure, but we will go ask Headmistress McGonagall as soon as you get out of here."  
  
"All right, Harry. Tell me something, though. Why am I in the Hospital Wing?"  
  
"Well that's part of the reason I'm here. No one is exactly sure what happened but I will tell you what we do know so far.  
  
"One of your roommates told a prefect that you weren't in your room. Since the prefect had been informed that you would be spending your evenings with your professors trying to get all your training done, she told your roommate not to worry but she neglected to inform me. It wasn't until lights-out and I came through for bed checks that I was told you hadn't been seen all evening. I immediately notified the Headmistress and the rest of the staff. Shortly after assembling the professors in the teacher's lounge, Hagrid came in to inform us that a werewolf had been seen on school grounds. Minerva gave Hagrid permission to use magic to capture the werewolf. The professors were split into groups and sent to search the castle, grounds, and the Forbidden Forest.  
  
"Hagrid, Minerva, Severus, Malfoy, and I were searching the Forbidden Forest. Severus and Malfoy saw the werewolf and cast a spell to stun it. Unfortunately, you were the werewolf and was hit with two different stun spells that when combined like they were can possible kill someone. While you were fighting for life, Malfoy and Severus called the rest of us and we ran over. Then we cautiously walked over to where the werewolf had fallen. Boy were we all surprised when we saw you, lying naked on the leaf litter. Minerva immediately conjured up a stretcher and blanket for you and sent Malfoy to wake Madame Pomfrey to look after you. You stopped breathing just before we got you here. You've been sleeping ever since Poppy resuscitated you and set your body on the path to healing.  
  
"Now, Nicole can you tell me what happened tonight?"  
  
I sit up in bed and rub my eyes. "All right, I'll tell you everything I can remember.  
  
"After dinner, I went back to the dormitory to get my books and then meet Malfoy for some Potions work." Harry snorts, "That's probably not the only thing he wanted to do tonight."  
  
"Harry, don't be jealous. I wouldn't touch that evil, slimy git for all the money in the world. Now, let me continue.  
  
"But when I got upstairs to my room, Marius was there. He told me that it was beautiful out tonight and we needed to explore our new territory. I looked out the window and agreed. I told him I would meet him outside. Then I Changed, becoming the wolf. I peeked out the door and, not hearing anyone in the Common Room, went down the stairs and out the Portrait. I made my way to the Great Hall. There were a couple of close calls but I made it out the front doors without being seen. Marius and I spent the next few hours exploring the grounds and playing games.  
  
"I remember going into the Forbidden Forest. Hagrid must have seen me earlier because shortly after my talk with the unicorns, I remember hearing two male voices mutter something. Then there was a bright flash of light and a whole lot of pain. Then the next thing I remember is waking up here."  
  
"Okay, you said you remember everything that happened tonight?" I nod my head. "And you can control the change?" I nod my head again. "That means you're not a werewolf, you are an Animagi."**  
  
*BEEP BEEP BEEP*  
  
I groggily open one eye and look at the alarm clock, "Bloody hell, if I don't get going I'm going to be late."  
  
I stumble out of bed and get in the shower. I didn't pay attention to what I was doing and got a faceful of cold water. "Aaaaiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeee," I screamed. That woke me up really quick. I leaned down and turned on some hot water. After taking my shower, I head down to the kitchen to get something to eat.  
  
"Marius!!!! What have I told you about leaving mice in the kitchen?!?!?"  
  
Marius flies in, picks up the mouse, and leaves in a bad mood. I think, 'Hmmm, wonder what I did to piss him off today?' I open up the cupboard and get me a coffee cup. I start making a cup of instant coffee. While it is in the microwave, I turn the TV on the Weather Channel.  
  
'Last night it appeared that there would be rain over much of northern Maine. However, it seems that it will be a perfectly sunny day today within a 15 mile radius of Portland. The meteorologists are baffled by this. It is almost as if the clouds form a complete circle around the city. Now onto the travelling conditions in the area.'  
  
I turn the TV off, get my coffee out of the microwave and sit on the counter, thinking. 'I wonder if I had anything to do with the weather changing suddenly. I mean, I did wish yesterday that today would be a sunny day. If I did, that would be cool, but I know that weather manipulation is impossible.'  
  
I drain my cup, look at the clock, and then run out of the house like a madwoman.  
  
I barely make it to work on time. As soon as I get to work, I am called into Dr. Hunter's office.  
  
"Well, Nicole. Have you decided whether you are going to go to England or not?"  
  
I nod my head, "Yes, but how exactly am I supposed to get there? I seriously dislike flying. That pretty much leaves a cruise."  
  
"Well, that is fine with the company. We were beginning to wonder how to get you there. The London office called and said that they do not require your assistance for another month, seeing as how the full moon as already passed. If you travel to England on a cruise, that gives you the time to become accustomed to things and will prevent jet lag."  
  
"All right, thank you Dr. Hunter. I appreciate the company working around my preferences for travelling."  
  
"You will leave on Saturday afternoon, and arrive in England on July 24." 


	5. Author's Note

I would like to thank all of my reviewers for their support on my story 'A Wayward Witch.' Without you all, I would have stopped writing it a long time ago. Unfortunately, I've been struck by writer's block on this story but have been working on another one, this one features Remus. I will hopefully have the first chapter up soon. I know what I want to say in my next chapter but I am having trouble putting in on paper. So everyone please be patient with me, I'm trying to get past this bout of writer's block.  
  
Thanks,  
MrsHarryPotter 


	6. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 - Preparation 2 (Emily's POV)  
  
Dr. Hunter gives me Friday off so that I can pack. I tell Emily what is going on as soon as I leave Hunter's office. She nods her head, "That's cool. I can come over Thursday and help you pack."  
  
"Thanks, Em. I really appreciate it." I give her one of my brightest smiles and head off to work. I don't see her pull out her cell phone, dial a number, and say, "Friday," when the phone is answered at the other end.  
  
A/N: The rest of this chapter will be in Emily's POV.  
  
I listen as Genie starts telling me what I need to pick up for Nikki's going away party. We had already decided that we didn't want alcohol at the party, so I didn't have to buy that but I did need to pick up the cakes, ice cream, and chip dip. Genie would be getting the hors d'oeuvres, chips, and the drinks.  
  
I started making a mental list of all the people to call and invite to the party, even though I hadn't talked to some of them since we all graduated from USAO. I would start out with the people who lived close to us; Shelly Long, Desitny McNabb, the Twins (Matthew and Andrew Long), and all of our friends from work. I know that Shelly and Desi would be there, if only because the last time we all got together we got unbelievably drunk, of course it was to celebrate mine and Nikki's promotions. I wonder if Matt and Andrew will be there, probably not since they are both so busy and I don't think they really were that close to Nikki. But oh well, Genie wants me to invite Matthew at least, since Nicole had a crush on him all those years ago. Sometimes I wonder if she still does love him, I mean she hasn't dated anyone as long as I've known her and that is going on 8 years.  
  
I tell Genie who all I'm going to call that night and she agrees. "Emily, I'll start calling all of mine and Nicole's old friends from graduate school to see if any of them are in the area Friday night and want to say good-bye to her."  
  
"Okay, I've got to get back to work. I'll call you later. Bye" With that I hung up my cell phone, and headed back to the lab to work. As I passed Jennifer Scott, I remember how well her and Nicole got along, so I said, "Hey Jen, I'm throwing a party for Nicole Friday night to say good-bye. Do you want to go?"  
  
Jennifer looks surprised at the invitation but says, "Sure, I'll be there. What time is it and do I need to bring anything?"  
  
"It will probably start around 8 PM. You don't need to bring anything but if you want you can tell some of the others here about the party."  
  
Jennifer nods, "All right, see you Friday night then."  
  
I grin, knowing that I won't have to tell anyone else at work now. Everyone knows that Jennifer will tell everyone about anything. I'm glad I ran into her today, this way I can concentrate on looking for our college friends.  
  
The rest of the day passes quickly for me, until I get home to William and remember all the phone calls I have to make. I groan out loud and Will asks, "What's wrong, Em?"  
  
I look at him and say, "Oh nothing. You remember the other night when I went out to dinner with Nikki?"  
  
He nods, "Yeah, you didn't look too happy when you came back."  
  
"Yeah, that's because my best friend had just told me that she is going to England. And now I"m in charge of finding all of our friends from college and inviting them to her going away party."  
  
William frowns, "Are you throwing it all by yourself?"  
  
I shake my head, "No, Genie is helping. She's calling all her and Nicole's friends from grad school."  
  
Will nods his head, "Okay. Would you like me to make dinner while you get started on your phone calls then?"  
  
I smile gratefully at him, "Thanks, love. Just holler at me when it's almost finished."  
  
"Okay, I promise it won't be anything too fancy."  
  
I nod my head and slip past him to our office. I sink into my comfortable chair at my desk and start looking for my address book. "Blasted thing, I know you're here somewhere." Just as I was about to give up and call Genie to tell her I can't make the phone calls, I find the stupid thing laying on top of my desk in plain veiw. I mutter to myself, "God, Emily, how can you be so blind? You are a freaking idiot, you know that don't you?"  
  
I open it up to the L's. Luckily for me, there are only 3 numbers listed there, Matthew's, Andrew's, and Shelly's. I call Shelly first, because I know she'll be there.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Hey Shelly, what have you been up to?"  
  
"Hey Em, it's been a long time since we talked. I'm fine, how's things going with you and William?"  
  
"Oh everything's great. Umm, the reason I called is.... Nicole's leaving for England on Saturday and we, Genie and I, are going to throw her a going away party on Friday night. I was wondering if you would like to go?"  
  
Shelly squeals, "Of course I would love to be there, even if it is only to say good-bye."  
  
"Okay, it's Friday night at 8 PM. You know where her house is, don't you?"  
  
"Yeah, if it's the same one that she was in when you guys got promoted."  
  
I laugh, "Yeah its the same one."  
  
"Okay, so I'll see you Friday night?"  
  
"Of course, after putting all this effort into this party, you think I'm gonna miss it? Not for all the money in the world."  
  
"Figures, you would say something like that. Hey who else have you invited?"  
  
"Ummm, right now you're the only one I've called but I was planning on calling Matthew, Andrew, and Desi tonight. I might call some of the others tomorrow night, like Jeremy, Holly & JP, and Amber. But I don't think they will be able to make it, unless they are in the area for some reason, ya know?"  
  
"Yeah I know, but at least you are going to try for all of our friends."  
  
"Yeah, well I gotta go, I want to get ahold of everyone I can tonight before dinner. Talk to you Friday. Bye."  
  
"All right, Em. Talk to you Friday." With that we both hung up.  
  
I sat there for a minute trying to decide who I should call next, Matthew, Andrew, or Desi. I decided that since I already had my address book open to the L's I would call the twins. I dial Matthew's number but only get his answering machine.  
  
"This is Matthew Long. Leave your name, phone number, and a brief message and I will get back to you as soon as possible." *BEEP*  
  
"Hi Matthew, its Emily. I wanted to know if you would be interested in coming to Nicole's going away party. She's going to be going to England Saturday afternoon and we are throwing a party for her Friday night. If you want to come, just call me back when you get this message. You can leave a message with William or call me at work. I hope to see you later. Bye."  
  
I hang up the phone, and take a deep breath. "Two down, two to go."  
  
I start dialling Andrew's number when I hear William call, "Dinner will be done in about 15 minutes, Em."  
  
"Thanks, hon. I've just got 2 more calls and then I'll be done."  
  
I finish dialling Andrew's number and get a nice surprise when it's answered by him on the second ring.  
  
"Hello, Andew Long speaking."  
  
"Hey Andrew, long time no see. How's things going for you?"  
  
"Hey Em. Things have been great. So what's up with you?"  
  
"Oh things are going pretty good. I wanted to ask you if you wanted to go to a going away party for Nicole. She's leaving for England Saturday afternoon, and we are throwing her a going away party Friday night at 8 PM."  
  
"Sure I'll be there. Where is it?"  
  
"It's going to be at her house. You know where it is don't you?"  
  
"Yeah, I remember where it is. Who else are you inviting? Do you mind if I bring my fiancee?"  
  
"Sure you can bring your fiancee. I don't mind, and I'm sure Nicole won't care. I've called your brother and Shelly. I left a message on Matthew's answering machine and I talked to Shelly. Shelly agreed to be there. I hope that Matthew will be able to show up, and if he can't I hope he at least calls Nicole. You know that she had a crush on him, ever since January of 2003?"  
  
"Wow, I didn't think she'd been in love with him for that long. But it kinda makes sense, I mean she hasn't dated anyone in ages, has she?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
"Well, lucky for you, the reason Matt wasn't at home when you called, is because he's here having dinner with us. Would you like to talk to him?"  
  
"Yeah, sure. Hey don't let him know that Nicole had, and may still have, a crush on him all those years ago, okay?"  
  
"Of course, I would never tell him. Here he is." Andrew hands the phone to Matt.  
  
"Hello, Matthew."  
  
"Hello, Emily. What's up?"  
  
"I called your house and left a message for you but since you are there, Andrew thought I should talk to you. Would you like to come to a going away party for Nicole? She's leaving for England Saturday afternoon, and we decided to throw her a party Friday night. It starts at 8 PM and it at her house."  
  
"Sure I'd love to go."  
  
"Okay, see you there, then. I'll talk to you later, I've still got some calls to make. Bye."  
  
"Bye, Emily." We both hang up the phone.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Matthew sighs as he hangs up the phone. 'I wonder if Emily knows that I've loved Nicole ever since she gave me that stupid little puppy dog for Valentine's Day in 2003. Probably not, and she probably got over me a long time ago. I should have said something but I just couldn't get enough courage up to say anything.'  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
I look back down at my address book and flip to the M page. I find Desi's phone number and dial it. Desi's phone rings a couple of times before she answers it.  
  
"Mmmmm 'llo."  
  
I giggle, "Hey Desi, is sleeping all you ever do?"  
  
I can almost see Desi, shaking her head as she sits up in her armchair. "No, who is this?"  
  
"I'm hurt Desi, you don't recognize my voice. It's Emily."  
  
"Oh, hey girl, what's up?"  
  
"Not much. I wanted to know if you would be able to make it to Nicole's going away party Friday night? She's leaving for England Saturday afternoon and we thought it would be a good idea to show her how much she would be missed."  
  
"Of course I'll be there. What time is it and where is it?"  
  
"It's at 8 PM at her house. I'll see you there, William's finished cooking dinner now. I'll talk to you later, bye."  
  
"Bye, Emily."  
  
I hang up the phone and head to the dining room to eat dinner with William. After dinner, I wash dishes and then head to bed because I am exhausted. Friday will be here sooner than I would like. 


	7. Disclaimer I finally remembered to load ...

Disclaimer  
  
My friend asked me to post this because her friend doesn't believe that she is in this story.  
  
Unfortunately they don't belong to me. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Malfoy, and the professors all belong to JK Rowling. William belongs to Joss Whedon, bet you all know who he is. Most of the other characters are real people and are my friends. There are only a few actual original characters in this story. Here is a description of my friends and William (for those who don't know who he is).  
  
Emily Willhite - 5'8'', thin but not too skinny, short brown hair, brown eyes, very smart, married to William, best friends with Nicole  
  
Nicole Klempp (main character) - 5'4''. average size, long brown hair, blue eyes, glasses, also very smart, single but in love with a man that she only sees in her dreams, best friends with Emily Willhite and Genie Bowechop  
  
William - 6'2'', athletic build, blonde hair, blue eyes, married to Emily, works as a bartender, shift starts at 8 PM, is a vampire with a soul but Emily doesn't know  
  
Shelly Long - 5'6", average size, shoulder length brown hiar, hazel eyes, glasses, smart, married to Shane Lawrence, high school english teacher  
  
Destiny McNabb - 5'4", thin but not too skinny, long brown hair, green eyes, smart, single, overworked psychologist  
  
Matthew Long - 5'9", thin, blondish-brown hair, blue eyes, smart, single, doctor  
  
Andrew Long - Matthew's twin, enganged to Jessica, doctor  
  
Jessica Morgan - 5'5", waist-length blonde hair, thin, green eyes, smart, engaged to Andrew, supermodel  
  
Genie Bowechop - 5'8", average size, long brown hair, brown eyes, glasses, very smart, single 


End file.
